A week after a second place finish at the KingCo tournament, the Mercer Island wrestling team took on the top teams across the region, finishing sixth as a team.
The Islanders had 85 points as a team, while Sedro Woolley won the tournament with 151 points.
The top four from each weight class earned spots in the state Mat Classic tournament this weekend at the Tacoma Dome.
In the 106 weight class, Luke Wilson finished second overall, falling to Mount Vernon’s Nathan Allen in the title match. Jake Pruchno finished sixth in the 113 weight class, falling to Alex Lee from Shorewood. Teammate Taylan Yuasa lost in the first round to a wrestler from Mount Vernon, and lost his consolation match to Lee in the double elimination tournament.
Trevor Gullstad lost his first match of the 120 weight class to Ferndale’s Isaac Robison, before falling to Ryley Asbher of Mount Si in the consolation round.
Kenji Walker took sixth overall in the 126 weight class, losing his final match to Rafael Ibarra of Mount Vernon. Teammate Luca Caruccio also finished sixth, in the 132 weight class, falling to Zane Crook of Everett.
In the 160 weight class Blake Johnson finished second. He beat Syd Springberg in the first round, followed by a win over Jordan Watts from Mount Vernon in the second round. He lost to Liberty’s Hamilton Noel in the championships by 3-2 decision.
Nick Chandler qualified for state in the 170 class, after finishing fourth at regionals. He faced eventual champion Connor Boyce from Everett in the semi-finals, losing by fall in 3:42. In the consolation bracket, Chandler beat Juanita’s Chase Miller, but lost to Mount Vernon’s Cody Patrick to take fourth.
In the 182 group, Phil Frazier took second. He battled Sean Elledge of Glacier Peak for the title, losing by injury decision. Teammate Brian Rauzi took fifth in the group, after beating Mount Si’s Timothy Corrie.
Andy Picton, wrestling in the 195 weight class, lost his first match to Gabe Torgerson of Sedro Woolley, and lost a second time, by 8-7 decision to Ricky Rodriguez of Mount Vernon.
The state tournament begins on Friday, Feb. 17 with the first session from 10 a.m. to noon, followed by the second session from 4 to 9:30 p.m. On Saturday, the third session, which includes all placing matches for eighth through third place, begins at 10 a.m. and run until 2:15 p.m. The championships will begin at 5 p.m. with team awards scheduled to start at 9:15 p.m.
